When you served in the military, you quickly learned the importance of physical exercise. Not just for your body, but your mind. Too often, the focus is on the physical impact of exercise, but there are some incredible emotional and mental benefits.

Leaving the military, or taking a break for college, doesn't mean you have to give up all of those benefits. But it does mean you can shift your workout time from before the sun rises until later in the day if you want.

4 Ways Physical Exercise Helps Student Veterans

Physical Exercise Helps You Focus

When facing challenges, it's sometimes hard to remember that challenges help stimulate new cell production. The new cells can help improve concentration, improve focus and increase productivity. The benefits of physical challenges can help improve academic success. Research has found that students with a gym membership and exercise are more likely to stay in school and have a higher GPA.

Related: Mental Health Resources for Student Veterans

Physical Exercise Can Lower Stress

Managing college and other life stressors requires planning, time management, and prioritization. Regular physical activity can help with all of this. Students who exercise at least three times a week reported better moods and less stress. Regular exercise helps improve mood and attitude and can relieve stress and tension. Decreasing stress can help reduce adverse effects on your body, help you sleep better, ease anxiety, and may help avoid future health problems.

Physical Exercise Can Increase Your Energy

Scientists studied exercise in mice and saw that daily exercise gave mice extra energy -- especially in the area of the brain that manages cognitive thinking. For students, this means that however contradictory it may sound, expending the energy to work out may help you be more productive and proficient in your studies.

Physical Exercise Can Improve Your Memory

On top of improving your energy and lowering stress, exercise can also help sharpen your memory. The hippocampus controls memory, which is especially important for students studying, and it starts shrinking in the late twenties. But exercise can help prevent the shrinkage of the hippocampus, which is a great reason to keep it as part of your routine.

Join a strong community of military veterans and their family members by connecting with other students at GGU.